01/26/05 A.G.R. lite sign up soon

It's just less than a week away. This coming Monday, in fact, is the deadline for producers of several crop and livestock products to sign up for a new crop insurance program. Actually, Adjusted Gross Revenue lite is not necessarily new, having proven itself as successful in the Northeastern U.S. But this is the first year A.G.R. lite will be offered in the three Northwest states and Alaska. Dave Paul of U.S.D.A.'s Risk Management Agency office in Spokane says his agency through the Western Center for Risk Management Education coordinate the program. It is designed to provide insurance protection for revenue loss due to unavoidable natural disasters. PAUL: But also it provides protection from market fluctuations or price decline. And not only is the greater coverage significant, but also that several crops and livestock products previously not covered or with limited coverage under federal crop insurance programs will now have greater insurance protection. Not only that, Paul adds A.G.R. lite allows producers to select the percentage of Adjusted Gross Revenue they want under coverage, and during what time period. PAUL: The insurance year equals the producers' tax year. If a producer has a calendar year tax filer, their insurance period becomes their calendar year, January One through December Thirty-First. If you're a fiscal year tax filer on the other hand, your insurance tends to flow with your fiscal year.